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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 found the following review helpful:
 Best purchase this year. Jul 31, 2008
By Jennifer Fidler
I have been looking for a good solution for my sound system. I don't want to go all out just yet with a 1500 system, but I don't want a crappy Insignia system. This is without a doubt a better than expected solution. I use this for Satellite and watching movies on my computer and my iPod. It brought a whole new life to my living room.
1000 watts is more than enough juice for a medium size living room, the bass is flawless and very powerful, I eventually had to turn it down. I does very good Dolby 5.1. The center speaker is loud enough, I do not have a problem not hearing diaglogue with music or action is going on in a movie.
The remote is very handy and easy to use. Yeah yeah, it's one more remote for the house but the ease of switching the surround mode and device is simple.
I highly reccommend these speakers, you will not be disappointed.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
iPhone 3G kinda works Oct 20, 2008
By D. B. Moore
Like the other reviewers I am impressed with the sound of this unit- though I wouldn't call myself a committed audiophile. I bought mine at a local "big box" store before I saw that Amazon had it on sale- either way great value- so I am giving it 5 stars. I bought this unit for listening to TV/music while in bed. I was pleasantly surprised- I am listening to Pandora music out of an iPhone 3G directly inserted into the iPod dock.
While it is in the dock some of the functions from the included remote work like skip to the next tune. I don't think the iPhone 3G can be charged in this cradle, but that is Apple's fault for changing their charging scheme. Apple makes their own 3G dock for like $40 which lets you charge and plug the music-out into "AUX 2" ... other than the iPod dock, but you lose some of the remote usefulness this unit only comes with 2 audio inputs.
TIP: I have a Motorola "universal" remote that came from Verizon called DRC800. The `philips' codes didn't work, manually I discovered that DVD/VCR code 0539 allows you to mute the unit or skip songs. Volume and power don't work so don't waste your time it's not really compatible with this unit, so plan on buying a real universal remote. I like the Logitech USB's `cause they get new codes from the web.
Good: Value Price, iPod dock, Sound, setup was easy
Bad: No earphone jack, only 2 RCA inputs, not fully compatible with iPhone 3G, only came with a single RCA cable, speaker wires are permanently attached and not RCA, no video in, cheap universals won't necessarily work.
[...]
21 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Best under $300 Sep 02, 2008
By olajoe
I'm saying three bills because of the following:
You'll need speaker stands/mounts, HDMI/ optical/ coaxial cables, and possibly a converter box.
For the optimum experience the speakers need to be set up right or you end up missing some of the sound. The stands and mounts take care of that.
HDMI cables are pretty much a no brainer and because there is only one you will need either a coaxial cable or a converter like another reviewer stated. I think my set up is the same. HDMI to TV with optical audio out from cable box to converter which becomes coaxial digital in back to receiver. Having this information beforehand made the installation pretty straightforward and painless.
This Philips HTIB is powerful and although it is lacking a manual EQ it has a handful of preset sound modes that push out a nice spectrum of tunes. The one add on that is not permanent is my PS3. The inconvenience with the PS3 setup is it uses the same optical line as the cable box (optical to digital)to the receiver.
Yes the speaker wires are thin but I don't believe it would make a discernible difference if they were any thicker. By the way, these wires are thin enough to slip behind baseboards without making it too difficult. The lengths of the speaker wires may be questionable but for my set up in a 12 X 15 room the length of wire feels about right. I think the disk tray as others have mentioned is weird. When it is opened at the receiver it seems to take quite awhile. But when I open the tray via the remote it seems to open a lot quicker.
I have used the receiver for music and it does well to pick up stations. The remote whether using it for a disc or radio surfing, has been very easy to use.
In reading other reviews I was concerned with the rats nest of cables associated with a system like this and thus looked into sound bars. I'm glad that I stuck with this because the little amount of wire/cables running on the sidelines is a small sacrifice instead of having to give up 5.1 channels for something like 3.1 that cost more.
This system also has an amazing upconversion. Cars, Matrix reloaded, Nemo, 300 (as with many other systems a little grainy), Shrek(s), Happy Feet, all look incredibly detailed. This is definitely a theater system the whole family can enjoy.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
not bad Mar 18, 2009
By dmdsprite
Not a bad system, with a few caveats:
1) No digital optical input, only digital coaxial. If you want to hook up a comcast cable box or a TV that's only got analog out or digital optical out, and you want good sound, you'll need to buy a digital optical to digital coaxial converter box. These can be had for about $20, plus the cost of the extra cable. Plus you'll have an extra component cluttering up your room.
2) Proprietary connectors for the speakers, and the speakers' ohm rating is not standard, meaning you can't use different speakers if you want. Not really a huge problem, unless these blow.
3) Speaker wires have a tiny diameter, which is not ideal, have a relatively long length, and cannot be shortened without splicing.
4) I can't get the comcast dvr remote to recognize the unit, nor could I get the TV's universal remote to recognize it. Almost had to go purchase a harmony remote, but hdmi-cec does work, so at least volume and power can be controlled by my TV.
Overall, not a bad system for a secondary site. I wouldn't use it for my main TV/listening area, but for a second system, and for $150, it's probably worthwhile.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Excellent product for the price Apr 08, 2009
By Jain
"VJ"
Do not expect it to give you a $1000 quality. But for the price it comes at, this product is just amazing. The installation was easy and sound quality is extremely nice. For less than $200, you certainly cannot ask for more. So, the bottomline is, if you do not want to spend $600 or $700 or more, then simply go for this. This will give you the same quality as a Sony or Panasonic which would cost you more than $300. And you get the additional advantange of a direct USB connection. Highly recommended.
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